[Monday July 29, 2013, Los Angeles]-On Wed., July 31, 6:30 pm the Levantine Cultural Center will present Citizen Diplomacy: A Forum on Yemen, Guantánamo, Drones & Spying. Speakers include CODEPINK co-founder and author Jodie Evans, who just returned from a peace mission to Yemen; and constitutional lawyer and head of the ACLU Foundation of Southern California, Steve Rohde.

CODEPINK cofounder Jodie Evans gives her report-back from a peace mission to Yemen, along with attorney Steve Rohde on drones and democracy

Jodie Evans reports back from a peace mission to Yemen, along with attorney Steve Rohde speaking on "Drones Abroad & Spying at Home: What's Happening to Our Democracy?" Evans traveled to Yemen in June on a peace mission with CODEPINK: Women for Peace, with Medea Benjamin (author most recently of Drone Warfare, Killing By Remote Control), Ann Wright and others. These American activists went to discover Yemen for themselves; they wanted to meet the families of Yemeni detainees at Guantánamo, many of whom have already been cleared for release after more than 10 years under lock-down. They went to meet as well the families of drone victims. Jodie Evans will share eyewitness accounts and personal stories.

[Los Angeles- November 1, 2010] On December 1st, 2010 the Levantine Cultural Center will host the East-West Awards gala to mark its 9th anniversary in Southern California. In celebration of the LCC's mission to bridge political and religious divides and champion a greater understanding of the Arab/Muslim world, the LCC will recognize the excellence of three individuals who have contributed to a positive dialogue between the Middle East and the US.

On December 1st, 2010, the Levantine Cultural Center will celebrate its 9th anniversary in Southern California with the East-West Awards gala, during which we will recognize excellence in contributing to the dialogue between the Middle East and the United States.

The East-West Awards honor three of our favorite activists from the Arab, Iranian and American communities—Jodie Evans, Bana Hilal, and Roxana Saberi (see below bios). In addition to a sumptuous feast, we will be entertained by DJ Alsultany, comedian Maz Jobrani and special guest musical artists including Momo Loudiyi (performing with KC Porter, Rosa Rojas, Fella Oudane, Dahveed Haribol Das, and Rowan Storm). The evening is hosted by actress and activist Nazanin Boniadi.

On December 27, 2008, Israel launched the Gaza War, codenamed Operation Cast Lead, in response it said to the rocket attacks of Hamas. 22 days later, over a 1,000 Gazans had been killed, 4,000 homes and schools were destroyed, and 400,000 were left without running water. The war only worsened the siege of Gaza, causing an outcry around the world. Concerned Jewish communities in Morocco, Montreal and London, among other places, called for Israel to stop its attack. In the wake of the destruction Gazans found themselves living a humanitarian crisis. Read more.

Gaza event: Levantine event for Gaza with (l-r) CODEPINK co-founder Jodie Evans, Nile El Wardani and Jordan Elgrably (Photo S. Twair)IN A FIRST-of-its-kind experiment, the Levantine Cultural Center engaged speakers for its March 4 Gaza benefit to participate in a live KPFK radio conversation with Don Bustany, host of "Middle East In Focus."

A café in Baghad: in the al-Mutannabi street districtHow much do Americans really know about Iraq and W.’s military adventures there? Of the few Hollywood films and documentaries subsequent to the invasion and occupation that began in March 2003, few delved below the surface (“In the Valley of Elah” dealt more with Iraq vets here at home than “over there”). Moreover, since the Occupation, fewer than 250 Iraqi nationals have been allowed to emigrate to the United States with refugee status (while over half a million crowd into Amman, Jordan). And for years, American media was banned from broadcasting or publishing images of body bags or coffins. Somehow, war became remote, filtering through to us in a haze of figures and statistics.